Sorry it took me a little longer than usual, but like I said updates aren't going to be as frequent...of course, I'm not going to wait a million years, but with school and drama and everything, it's impossible to update everyday. Anyway, I hope you all like it. It's kind of pointless, but really cute, and we get to see a different side of Edmund.
Chapter Ten-I'm On My Way
"Tunics?"
"Check."
"Extra weapons?" Edmund asked, and Peter looked at him oddly.
"Er-no."
"Fine. Food?"
"Check. Morning Lu."
"Good morning!" She smiled cheerfully, and attached the few things she was bringing to Yuri's saddle.
"Ugh, how are you so cheerful?" Edmund groaned. "It's five in the morning!"
"Look how pretty it is though," Lucy said, motioning to the sky.
"It may be pretty but it's freezing and there's snow predicted," Caspian said pessimistically as he joined the three Pevensies in the stables.
"Good morning to you too," Lucy chuckled, and she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. After putting an arm around her waist, Caspian turned to Edmund and Peter.
"Is it just us four, or did Rhince decide to come as well?"
"Rhince is staying, but Salvador is coming with us," said Peter. Lucy looked up on the rafters and saw the raven staring down at them. "Just incase we end up needing an army."
"You really think that this whole thing with Jacinda and Araminta will start a war?" Lucy asked. "Because if so, I can-"
"Don't worry, none of us actually think there will be an attack. But it never hurts to be prepared." Peter tightened the girth on his saddle, and mounted. "Salvador, you don't have to travel with us as I am sure you would get most impatient." The bird nodded and flew away, so Peter turned to the other three. "Are you three packed and ready?" They nodded and their journey began.
"Didn't you want to say goodbye to Shaina?" Lucy asked him.
"I already did before I came down to the stables. I don't think I could do it again." Lucy let go of the reins and rubbed her brothers arm in a comforting way.
"How can you do that?" he asked curiously.
"Do what?"
"Ride without holding the reins."
"It's simple. You used to do it all the time."
"I know, but Unicorns are much different from horses. You can fall off a horse much easier than you can fall off a Unicorn."
"You had a unicorn?" Caspian asked in shock, and Peter nodded. "And he let you ride him?" Peter nodded again. "Huh. Narnia was much different back then."
"He only let me ride him in war, mind you. And he always requested me to get on his back. I would never dream of asking to ride a unicorn. It's very disrespectful."
"Even asking a talking horse is," Edmund added. "I remember during the battle with the white witch, Philip told me I couldn't ride him again unless another war came up."
"And you rode a talking horse…wow." Lucy laughed at Caspian's amazement, and he turned to her. "What did you ride?"
"I was much too small for most of my life to ride much of anything…but when Calormen tried to take Anvard I remember riding a talking horse. Oh, and I've ridden on Aslan's back a few times." The others stared at her in shock. "I thought I told you."
"Er-no."
"Well Susan did too. How do you think we managed to get extra help for the Battle of Beruna, Caspian? And how do you think we were able to turn the stone statues back into real creatures, Pete? By flying?"
"We knew Aslan was with you, but we never realized that you actually were able to get on His back."
"I do miss Him. He hasn't come since the three of us returned to Narnia," Lucy sighed. "Oh how nice it would be to just bury my face in his mane right now…"
"Speaking of you three coming back, you still haven't told me why you were sent. Afterall, Peter, I know you were never to come back, and I figured you two wouldn't be returning either. I thought if I was ever to see one of my old friends again, it would be Eustace."
"You know, why didn't he come?" Peter asked. "I figured he would."
"Maybe Aslan didn't think he was up for it this time," Edmund suggested. "Afterall, we really weren't sent during a time of need last time."
"But Narnia is peaceful," Caspian said, confused.
"That may be so…but Aslan sent us because well…if we didn't, he said that the Narnian world would end." Caspian's eyes widened.
"But how? I thought I was doing an ok job as King…"
"Caspian, you are doing a marvelous job. But some things can't be helped," Peter explained, in a very High Kingly way. "Aslan told us that only Lucy could save Narnia. He didn't say how, he didn't say when. He just told us that only she could. So it has nothing to do with you, it's just fate." Caspian relaxed a bit, glad to hear Aslan didn't think he was a bad King, but then he tensed up again.
"Wait, Lucy? It's up to you to keep Narnia from ending?" She nodded, and said,
"Don't freak out like Peter did, Aslan knows what he's doing. I trust Him completely, and I will do whatever I need to," she said calmly. There was silence for a few minutes, until Lucy spoke again. "This is nice."
"What is?" Edmund asked.
"The four of us all together. We haven't had any time alone with each other since my birthday. And that was what, a little more than four months ago?" The others nodded. "Edmund, I'm sorry that you're probably going to have to spend yours in Archenland."
"Don't worry about it, I was the one who said we should go."
"True enough." There was silence for a few minutes again, until Lucy swore.
"What?" the three boys asked, looking over at Lucy in shock. She hardly ever swore.
"We're going to have to spend Christmas in Archenland too!" she frowned. The others laughed and continued down the path (if you could call it that) that would eventually lead to Anvard.
The rest of the day was full of chatter and laughter, and no one even noticed they didn't stop until ten that night. Because they didn't bring any tents, they built a fire in an open area near the pass, and laid many blankets around it for them to sleep on.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Lucy asked.
"What is?"
"You know, sleeping outside in freezing temperatures."
"Lu, we jumped in an ocean in freezing temperatures. I think we'll be fine," Caspian laughed.
"Even so, we should all huddle together…and I call the middle," Lucy said, still frowning.
"Me too," Caspian said.
"Thank Aslan," said Edmund.
"You want an end?" Lucy asked him.
"Not really, but I also don't want to sleep next to Peter. That's just awkward." Peter laughed and clapped him on the back.
"I understand you completely, dear brother. I don't want to be next to you either."
"Aww, you want to sleep next to me? I'm touched," Caspian teased as he wrapped himself in a few blankets.
"Not really, but I'd be glad to sleep next to Lucy."
"Oh no, I'm already next to her."
"Wow, everyone wants to be next to me…I'm so popular!" Lucy grinned. She wriggled her way inbetween Edmund and Caspian, and she covered herself in as many blankets as she could find. Her teeth were still chattering, but when Edmund and Caspian inched closer to her, she finally felt the least bit warm.
It took her forever to fall asleep. She was almost envious of her brothers, for she could feel Edmund's slow and even breathing against her body, and she could hear Peter's loud snores.
"Lu, are you still awake?" She rolled over to face Caspian, and his eyes were still open.
"Yes. You can't sleep either?" she asked, and he shook his head. "Peter?" He nodded.
"Your brother reminds me of a fog horn."
"He tends to do that," Lucy said, laughing quietly. Caspian sighed and wrapped his arms around Lucy's waist.
"I'm glad I can do this now," he said, and Lucy rest her head on his chest.
"Me too." She looked up at him, and once she was in reach, Caspian kissed her softly on the mouth. "Mmm…that was nice."
"I couldn't resist."
"I'm glad," she said, and this time she kissed him.
"We're never going to go to sleep if we keep this up," he said, and Lucy sighed.
"I suppose you're right." She snuggled back down with her head on Caspian's chest again, and he kissed the top of her head.
"I love you," he said softly, and Lucy smiled into his tunic.
'Thank Aslan,' she thought, and before she knew it she finally drifted off to sleep.
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Edmund was the first to wake the next morning, and when he did, he wasn't surprised to see the position of his sister and friend. Somehow he knew he'd wake up to find them like that.
'Just make sure you wake them up before Peter sees them,' he thought to himself as he got up off the ground. He picked up his sword, and made his way over to one of the streams near by to wash and clear his head.
Though he would never admit it to anyone, he was very jealous of Caspian and Lucy, and Shaina and Peter. He had once had what they had, and he longed to have the raven-haired elf back in his life. Isabelle was the only woman he ever loved, and he missed her terribly.
When he saw his siblings with their significant others, he hated the thoughts that entered his head. He hated thinking 'what if the same thing happens to them' and he hated even worse, 'why did this happen to me?' He thought it selfish of him to think things like that, and he never wanted to think them. But though you can control what you say, you can't control your thoughts, and he prayed that Aslan wouldn't 'punish' him for them.
However when it came to saying things about her, or any relationship, he was always able to lie and say 'I'm happy for you' or 'I'm glad you're finally together.' But he wasn't. Of course he was glad that his friends and family were finding love, but it just reminded him of his past life…of Isabelle…of the pain he went through and caused his family.
He blamed himself entirely for what happened to Isabelle. They had been on a horse ride together, and when he went off to find water, the arrows were shot at her. When he came back, he found her lying on the grass bleeding, and a small black dwarf in the bushes with an arrow on a string, ready to shoot again. He attacked the dwarf in seconds, but he couldn't do anything for Isabelle. He had no medical aid, and the only thing he could do was get her back to Cair Paravel as soon as possible. They had ridden for about three hours before they stopped, and as he galloped back with her he couldn't help but think he might be too late.
When they reached the castle he brought her to her room, and called for Lucy instantly. She tried using her elixir, and soon the healers took over, but all of it was in vain. Isabelle died a week later, and Edmund felt as if his life was over. If it weren't for his sisters and brother, he probably would have hurled himself off the highest tower, or drowned himself in the sea. But in the end he knew she wouldn't have wanted that, and so he tried his best to act like a normal person.
But he never could. The Edmund he was before her death never resurfaced. Not even now, when he was with the people he loved. Not like the love he had for her, of course, but a brotherly love. The carefree, spirited, optimistic Edmund he was had left him, and though he could still be witty, and he could still have fun, he was much more serious than he ever would have dreamed of being. He was sensible, and solemn much of the time, and he tended to have a higher temper than he used to.
Though he sometimes wondered if Lucy was right, he still thought about Isabelle frequently. He sometimes wondered if she actually had died for a reason, is she wasn't actually meant for him. But he hated thinking that, for he had sworn never to love anyone again, and he intended to keep his promise. A promise his sister hated with a passion and his brother didn't even know about, but a promise that made him feel as if he still was with Isabelle. If he was with her, he wouldn't love another woman. If he was with her, he would have made that promise. So he made the promise anyway, which made him feel closer to his deceased lover than anything else did.
"Ed?" He turned around, and saw his sister standing behind him.
"Morning Lu."
"What are you doing over here?"
"Washing my face." She sat down next to him and put her head on his shoulder.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Lu. I'm fine."
"You always say that, and you never are."
"Lu, I really don't want to talk about her right now."
"Alright," she finally said, and he put an arm around her shoulders.
"Thankyou," he whispered. They sat like that for a few minutes until they could smell a fire burning again, which was when they headed back to camp.
"So where are we exactly?" Caspian asked.
"About six hours from Anvard. If we leave soon, we should be there around mid day."
"Then lets get moving," Edmund said. They all washed, and ate, and soon they were riding again. The company was very glad when the air started to warm up again, and though the highest temperature was only a little above freezing, they felt much warmer than they had the night before. It raised their spirits, and soon they were talking avidly again, and when they laid eyes on the castle six hours later, they were even looking forward to their stay with King Nain, Prince Rama and Princess Vera.
When they approached the gate, they were met by two guards who led them to the door of the castle. A beautiful young woman with dark hair and blue eyes met them at the door.
"Welcome, friends. I am so glad you've come."
There it is! Please, please, PLEASE review!
